Serving his constituents and helping solve problems gets state lawmaker Chris Kidd moving in the morning.
Kidd, a fifth generation Oklahoman and the son of a rancher and schoolteacher, is motivated by his calling as a state legislator, which is why he doesn’t have a career outside of the state Capitol anymore.
“I probably couldn’t do more than one thing,” he joked. “I couldn’t give attention to a career and being a senator 100% of the time for the people of District 31. I had more constituent requests this year than ever before. I’m always busy serving. I like to say they (constituents) are my boss.”
Kidd is proud of legislation that directly impacts the people in his district. For example, he and state Rep. Toni Hasenbeck (R-Elgin) co-authored Senate Bill 1670. SB 1670 provides a sales tax exemption to spouses of U.S. military service members who were killed in the line of duty. The bill requires the surviving spouse not be remarried.
“We hadn’t done anything to help spouses of active duty soldiers who died in the line of duty,” Kidd said.
The lawmaker also cited House Bill 4354, which he authored in the Senate. The measure created the Oklahoma Research and Development Attraction Act, which directs the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology to develop a grants program that fosters research and development in critical industries.
The bill, signed by Gov. Kevin Stitt on May 22, allows OCAST to award matching funds to eligible businesses to offset a portion of expenses incurred through project engagement with an Oklahoma college or university or nonprofit research institution. The measure also allows OCAST to award matching funds up to 50% of the cost of the project, not to exceed $100,000, to eligible businesses.
The businesses must be an Oklahoma-based small businesses, operate in aerospace and autonomous systems, life sciences or energy diversification. In addition, the businesses must conduct their research and development project in Oklahoma.
Kidd was elected to his first Senate term in 2016 and was reelected in 2020 when he was unopposed. Serving in the state Legislature runs in the family as Kidd’s great-grandfather, Oscar Lowrance, was elected to the House and Senate and served with Bill “Alfalfa” Murray in the 1930s.
Kidd’s current Senate committee assignments include membership on agricultural and wildlife, appropriations, education, finance and veterans and military panels. Kidd’s district includes parts of Comanche, Cotton, Jefferson, Stephens and Tillman counties.
Before serving in the legislature, Kidd was a field representative for Farm Bureau, where he lobbied for farmers and ranchers, served as a field representative, director of state and national affairs. In 2014 he was named vice president of membership.
Kidd also worked for the Chickasaw Nation, serving on the economic development team and was the Agricultural Education Instructor and FFA advisor at Waurika High School.
Kidd received an associate degree in agricultural science from Murray State College and graduated from Oklahoma State University with a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. He is also a graduate of the 2014 Oklahoma Agricultural Leadership Program and Leadership Oklahoma’s Entrepreneurial program.
He has been honored several times, including the Outstanding Legislator honor from the state Sheriff’s Association, the Outstanding Legislator of the Year by the Association of County Commissioners and the Outstanding Legislator by Farm Bureau.
In his spare time, he also serves as a firefighter for the Claypool Volunteer Fire Department and helps his dad operate a cattle ranch in southern Oklahoma. Kidd and his wife, Lindsey, have three daughters.